Agreement Signed For N. Korea Reactors

NEW YORK — North Korea and a U.S.-led consortium signed agreements Wednesday that will allow long-delayed construction to begin this summer on two nuclear reactors in the reclusive communist country.

Work at the site near a remote North Korean fishing village should start by early August, said Ho Jong, the country's ambassador-at-large who signed the documents.

The international consortium-- the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization-- is providing two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors in exchange for a pledge by North Korea to freeze its nuclear program.

The new reactors are safer and produce far less plutonium than the North's outdated Soviet-designed nuclear system.

Under a 1994 deal with the United States, North Korea promised to scrap its nuclear program, while denying it has been developing atomic weapons.

In return, Washington formed the consortium to provide new reactors.

Western officials believe North Korea already has enough plutonium to make at least one nuclear bomb.

Stephen Bosworth, executive director of the consortium, said working out the practical arrangements has been difficult because the project is complicated and highly political.

In addition to the two Koreas and the United States, members of the consortium are Japan, the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Argentina and Chile.

This week has seen a flurry of political activity from North Korea, with signs of greater willingness to cooperate with South Korea and the United States.

After months of frustrating discussions, North Korea agreed Monday to join South Korea, the United States and China on Aug. 5 to work out the details for holding negotiations to bring a formal end to the Korean War.

Five hours of two-way talks between Washington and Pyongyang also were held Wednesday to deal with a broad range of issues, including missile proliferation, missing U.S. servicemen in Korea and food aid.

As in previous meetings with U.S. officials, famine-hit North Korea again requested more food aid.

The Americans promised to consider any future appeals by international bodies "aimed at meeting demonstrated needs," State Department spokesman John Dinger said.

Although this was a stock U.S. response, Washington, which already supplied food aid worth $25 million to North Korea this year, was widely expected to send more now that Pyongyang has formally accepted the four-party talks.

South Korea will bear most of the $5 billion cost of building the reactors, which are expected to be completed by 2003.